Resource List

I am often ask what I eat, what nutrition/fitness products I use and recently have been approached by people who are interested in starting there own blog. Below is a list of the tools and resources I have found to be the most useful for living healthy & starting and running my blog. If you have any questions, please reach out to me here.

Health/Fitness Topics:

    Nutrition Supplements
    Recipes & Meal Planning Resources
    Must Read Books on Nutrition
    My TOP PICKS for Workout Videos
    My TOP PICKS for Nutrition / Weight Loss Programs

Blogging/ Online Business/ Fitness Professionals Topics:

    Web Hosting & WordPress Set Up
    Must Read “Blog Business” Books
    Tools for Day to Day Operations
    Fitness Professional Resources

Fitness & Nutrition Recommendations

Supplements

    Quest Protein Bars are my favorite Protein Bars ($24 per box) & Protein Powders ($39 for 25 servings) for snacking & cooking. These have the lowest price and the least amount of ingredients of anything I have found out there. Though I will admit that I prefer to only cook with these protein powders because the texture is a little think. I use the Advocare protein powder (Muscle Gain) for drinking.
    Advocare is where I turn for reliable, high quality supplements. The supplement industry is not regulated but the FDA marking it hard to know what brands to trust. Advocare is one of the the most established, well researched companies around. Their Science & Medical Advisory Board gives me confidence that what I am buying is not only of the highest quality, but is safe and will be effective. My favorite products are the MNS packs (or Coreplex/Omegaplex if on a budget), Meal Replacement shakes and Muscle Gain protein powder for drinking pre/post workout.
    I try to eat a vegetable at every meal, Greens plus helps me to do that. I have a scoop every morning when I wake up while I prepare breakfast. I started this back in 2006 and have seen a noticeable difference in my skin, hair and nail health. I also very rarely get sick (even a cold)- I believe this product has a lot to do with that. I use the Wild Berry & Raw flavors ($26 for 30 servings).

Recipes & Meal Planning

    The Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook by the Precision Nutrition team, this book is packed full of simple recipes and nutrition information. I have both volume 1 & 2 and it’s a great resource for recipes, cooking and stocking your kitchen.
    Alli’s Slim Pickin’s Recipe Ebook is a gem I found a few months ago. This girl is a figure competitor so her recipes are super high protein and low carb, but she has figured out a way to satisfy any craving (pancakes, crapes, muffins, pizza, etc) for minimal calories and minimal cooking ability… and the Ebook is only $6. TOTALLY worth it!
    Emeals is a service that takes the stress out of meal planning by offering weekly menus to match your diet. Emeals will provides a new weekly grocery list and recipes to make your dinner (and lunch if you prefer) routine as simple as possible for as little as $5 a month. I personally use the Paleo plan + lunches for my husband and I, but I think the Low Calorie, Low Carb, Portion Control, Vegetarian or Mediterranean plans would be fine for most people’s goals as well.

Books on Nutrition

    The Precision Nutrition System is very comprehensive resource for all you could possibly want to know about nutrition. This is the program I got started with in 2006 and this is also the organization I have my nutrition certification through. It’s worth the $50 to have on your shelf as a reliable resource for all things related to healthy eating and nutrition.
    The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest I LOVE THIS BOOK because it breaks through a lot of the B.S. in the nutrition industry. Anyone who is older than 25 years old and has been paying any attention to the health industry has realized that the trends change. One year we should be eating low fat, the next low carb, the next year, vegetarian, the next Paleo- it can be overwhelming! This book is about research done on the “Blue Zones” in the world (the places with the highest population of people living & thriving over 100). It helps to keep the perspective on diet and lifestyle healthy. Hint: most of us can eat bread, drink alcohol, and have dessert and still be healthy.
    Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss This was one of the first books I read on nutrition, and although some of the information may be slightly out of date now (it was published in 2008), it explains the biggest issues with the American diet and lifestyle and gives simple tips on how to correct them.
    Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health Now I have heard some of the research in this book called into question, but I still think it is a must read for anyone who is confused on the whole “gluten free” thing. This book, when read along side the others I recommend will help you develop a better understanding of why we are so unhealthy as a population and why it is SO important to get away from highly processed foods.

Workout Videos

    Insanity 60 Day in home workout DVD series based on high intensity interval exercises.
    P90X Complete in home DVD Series and workout equipment. Includes high intensity intervals, resistance band workouts and yoga.
    Les Mills Pump 3 Day per week in home workout series that focuses on using light barbell weights and high repetition.

Nutrition Coaching & Weight Loss Programs

    Online Coaching with me is a great option if you are looking for someone to take a detailed look into your current eating habits and help you to make specific changes to your diet and exercise program. I take clients for 6 weeks at a time and we meet via FaceTime or phone biweekly after the initial consultation. You also get unlimited text and email support for all of your questions. This is ideal for someone who is pretty knowledgable on nutrition, but is stuck with the “last 10-20 pounds”. I am excellent at fine tuning programs, identifying trouble areas and finding solutions to get you to your goals.
    Precision Nutrition Coaching is a very detailed, 12 month coaching program that is released 1-2 times per year. This is ideal for people who have a lot of weight to lose and are overwhelmed by the idea of starting a weight loss program. The program moves slow in the beginning but brings lasting results.

Resources for Blogging & Online Business

Hosting & WordPress Set Up

    Bluehost.com for all web hosting. In the beginning I used wordpress.com and another website builder tool and hated it! It took me months to re-do everything the right way with wordpress.org. Save yourself the time and start with Bluehost.com

    This video tutorial by Michael Hyatt will show you how to set up a wordpress site in less than 20 minutes. It’s so easy! He uses Bluehost as well, so what you see in the video will be EXACTLY what you need to do in order to set up your site.

My 3 Must Read “Blog Business”Books
Over the past 3 years I think I have read just about every book on online business building and blogging. There are many great books, but these 3 are my favorite because they are short, simple and useful.

    BYOB by Natalie Sisson BYOB stands for “Build Your Online Business” and it was probably the 10th book I read on the topic. I wish I had found it sooner because it is simple & will get you started in the shortest amount of time possible. It focuses on building online products and marketing those products.

    The Suitcase Entrepreneur by Natalie Sisson is another one I just cannot live without. Now while much of this book is focused on traveling while running your business, I still love it for the endless resources Natalie includes in it. She has a super concise way of writing which I really appreciate. It has everything you need to know about tools you will need to efficiently run a profitable online business.

    Another great book and one of the first I read on the topic was Platform by Michael Hyatt I recommend starting with this one if you think a blog/online business sounds interesting. Like Natalie, Michael writes in a very “to the point” matter and offers many ideas on writing as well as endless resources and tips for social media marketing.


Other tools for day to day operations

    Aweber.com I use aweber as my email marketing system. All of the subscribe forms link directly to aweber and a list I can manage. Their customer service is also AMAZING!

    Paypal.com I use paypal to collect payments from clients for coaching. The backend of the website allows you to create just about any button, link, or dropdown box you could want. Their customer service is also amazing!

    Wufoo.com I use woofu to create all the the forms I use for client inquiries, questionnaires, surveys, etc.

Fitness Professional Resources

    Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification: This certification have been a lifesaver for me! I have been reading articles by Dr. John Berardi (Precision Nutrition founder) for over 10 years and made sure I was first on the list when they released this certification in 2010. I passed my exam in May 2010 and have no regrets. This is a self study program, but by no means is it easy! It gives you a solid foundation & education for working with clients to create and implement healthy eating habits. This certification will also give you credit towards CEUs for both the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength & Conditioning Association.

    FMI Guild: If you are super serious about building an online business and in the fitness industry, I recommend checking out the FMIGuild . I went to this conference in October 2013 and came back with a ton of ideas and inspiration to start my blog. I missed the conference last year but will try to attend this year if my schedule allows. It is a wonderful weekend with some of the best minds in the online fitness industry. Everyone is super nice and super helpful. You will even walk away with beautiful, professional photos to help build your brand and tons of new fitness friends.